Thursday, April 26, 2012

Cooking fish in parchment paper is incredibly simple, and yet fairly terrifying for a novice cook. Since the seafood is encased in paper, there’s really no good way to check if it’s done, and so you’re basically going on time and experience, and this can be scary for even grizzled old chefs.The good news: if you use a large, center-cut salmon filet, about 8 or 9 ounces, and cook it for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F., you’re going to be very, very close. After making this a couple times, you’ll adjust your cooking time to suit your personal needs, and once you dial it in, it’s a foolproof technique.

So, where and how do you get some professional parchment paper? It’s as easy as finding a donut…literally. Every single bakery in existence has a box of parchment paper sitting on a shelf somewhere. It comes in large boxes, containing thousands of sheets, and if you’re nice and/or offer them a few bucks, they will happily give you some.

And the great thing about parchment paper is that it’s so thin, when they pinch you off a quarter-inch from the top of the pile, they’re actually handing you hundreds of sheets. So, for a mere $5 bribe, you’ll have a couple years worth of paper.

Anyway, once you’ve acquired the parchment, the rest is easy. Just make sure your fish is completely thawed. It doesn’t need to be room temp, but if it’s still ice-cold, the cooking time will be longer. Also, be sure whatever vegetables you include in the packet are pre-cooked enough to finish during the 15 minute cooking time.

By the way, in addition to cooking “en papillote,” parchment paper it’s also perfect for those occasional proclamations and decrees. Speaking of which, I hereby proclaim that this was really fun and delicious, and I decree that you give salmon in parchment a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:2 large, center-cut salmon filet, 8 or 9 ounces each, boneless-skinless2 sheets of parchment cut into large heart shape (the surface area of half your “heart” should be a little bigger than the size of a large dinner plate)seasoning to tastesalt and pepper to tastedrizzle of olive oil or buttercooked potatoes and veggies as needed.*Note: I served mine with a very light mustard aioli, which was simply mayo, Dijon, lemon juice and a touch of garlic.Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F., then let sit 4-5 minutes before cutting open.View the complete recipe

I'm wondering... what is the difference from using Foil to cover them up from parchment paper? I luv this dish, cuz it's only for ONE, so for me, cuz my bf doesn't eat any seafood. But this will be my secret Delicious meal when he isn't home! lol :-)

I am trying this tonight, it looks soooo good and it isnt even cooked yet! I would love to send you a pic of it so you could see how well your videos work for newbie cooks like me! Lol! Cant wait to dig in!Thanks again Chef JohnCapri

I never believed I could cook a good meal till I tried this recipe out. Chef John, YOU are amazing! I topped it off w white sauce and added frozen peas/carrots/corn w broccoli and some japanese leftover corn I had in the fridge and it was soooo good. The process of watching the parchment paper rise and bloat up was rlly fun too.

Thank you for the video, Chef! It made dinner prep fun this evening and the salmon was so moist and cooked to perfection. As I only put the fish in the parchment, I wished I'd cut smaller pieces of parchment for presentation reasons, but it was delicious!

I am soooo late to this partay. I believe you will be my foodie saviour this wintah. This was such a simple and quick lunch now I get to go back to work. I opted for brussel sprouts (mmmmmmmmmm) and all worked out perfectly. I tucked right in and forgot to wait for 4-5 minutes and I was handsomely rewarded with a hot brussel sprout being spitf across the table. Good thing I dined alone. Awesome!

Chef John, I'm making this for a date in a couple weeks. Is it safe to prep and seal up the packets hours ahead of time and throw in the oven when ready? What would you say to a splash of wine in the packet? Other vegetable combos you'd suggest inside?

I LOVE Salmon and Asparagus! And YES a friend tried, TRIED to show me how to "close" the parchment paper. Can you say # EPIC FAIL?! But NOW i feel more confident in leaving the foil wrap behind and I also plan to try your tip about the Bakery shops' parchment.